Heritage

GISC is a nonprofit organization founded by Dr. Sonia March Nevis and her late husband, Dr. Edwin C.
Nevis, thirty-five years ago. The Center originally focused on research and theory development, then expanded its mission to training practitioners and leaders in order to enhance the effectiveness of both individuals and organizations.

Until Edwin’s death in 2011, Sonia March Nevis and Edwin C. Nevis together led in the development of powerful techniques to transform organization and family interactions based on Gestalt theory. After studying with the originators of Gestalt therapy, they helped to found two of the most successful Gestalt training organizations in the world. Sonia Nevis pioneered the expansion of Gestalt therapy application, first to couples and families, and then to small groups and teams. To teach this work, she established the Cape Cod Training Program (formerly known as the Couple and Family Training Program), which for more than thirty years has drawn participants from around the world. Edwin Nevis was a creator of the Gestalt approach to organizational consulting, consulting to Fortune 500 companies, and writing Organizational Consulting: A Gestalt Approach and co-authoring Intentional Revolutions: A Seven-Point Strategy for Transforming Organizations, in addition to many other articles.

Over the years the Nevis’ trained thousands of consultants, coaches, therapists, and leaders worldwide, transforming their effectiveness. The Nevis’ participants have gone on to extend the development of new theory and practice and now form the core of GISC’s experienced faculty and Professional Associates.

The values of optimism, generosity, integrity, and professional curiosity embodied by the Center’s founders have become the foundation upon which GISC now stands. Sonia continues to support the work of the Center with frequent visits, contributions to GISC publications, and by maintaining close ties with many members of GISC's global community.

FUTURE FOCUS

GISC is on the move: advancing our leadership theory and offerings to reflect current market demands, building on successes in our Healthcare Initiative, planning purposeful movement into the world of virtual learning, and growing our certification programs. As our ICF-accredited coach-training program begins its fifth year, GISC has extended its reach beyond the Center’s OD Certification and continuing education offerings, to establish our reputation as the professional home and a rich resource for practitioners from psychotherapists to coaches and OD professionals.

The promise of our founding vision to transform the way you live and work in the world remains vital and vibrant. GISC’s leadership is in good hands, with long-term sustainability as a priority. Following the founder succession plan initiated in 2006, the Center’s programs and services have grown under the tenure and leadership of both Nancy Scott Hardaway and David Tunney. In recent years, Mary Anne Walk, a long-time faculty and board member led the Center from 2012 to 2014, expanding GISC's reach and enhancing the organization’s financial position and operational performance. Gwynne Guzzeau became Executive Director in 2014 with the objective of leading this dynamic organization into its next phase of growth and vitality. Gwynne’s professional experience as an educator, researcher and attorney, combined with her years of GISC training, teaching and coach certification, informs her commitment to the power of profound growth in a supportive learning environment that GISC delivers.

GISC and its ongoing success is a living testament to the passion and creativity of Sonia and Edwin Nevis and the legacy they began and which continues today.

“The Gestalt International Study Center
and its faculty have a unique, elegant and wonderfully simple way of working with individuals, groups and organizations. Participants experience the approach and get it in their bones. Unlike a typical training or lecture, this allows therapists, business and community leaders or consultants the means of sharing it directly with the systems they work in to achieve powerful impact. The tranquil setting of outer Cape Cod offers the luxury of a change in environment and the opportunity for reflection, which deepen the learning experience.”

Mark HollernOrganization Development ConsultantCovance, Inc.

"Cape Cod Training Program, although focused on teaching of skills, is a life changing program. I know few people who have not come away from it without saying that it has transformed the way they think and live in the world."